Life is A Beautiful Mess
by darveysecretsanta2018
Summary: When Harvey and Donna find themselves alone in an apartment with a Christmas tree, it leads to an emotional throwback and a much needed talk.


This surprise gift is a take two on the prompt from yesterday. When you get two submissions from one fic, you celebrate! Leave this Santa a thank you note to let them know your thoughts.

.

Requested by Laura(frenchdarvey) - _Darvey are single (no TCM), it's Christmastime, a client asks for a meeting in the mountains with two ZSLWW representatives. Only D &H can make it. _

_Lots of snow. I'd love to see Donna being 100% prepared to face the cold and Harvey being unaware af. He's kinda having difficulties walking, almost falls and Donna catches him.  
After the meeting they're supposed to share a big apartment(4 bedrooms:very important) with two other representatives from another firm AND THEY'RE NOT THERE.  
A snowstorm makes them bored so they start to decorate the apartment (Christmas tree and everything) w/ fun, touching.  
They hang mistletoe, deep looks and...nothing yet.  
A scene where they're outside and at a fireplace, telling old stories, Harvey gives his coat to Donna because she's freezing (he's freezing even more - gentleman Harv), their talking leads to THE TALK.  
Then they kiss AT THE FIREPLACE (details please), end in a bedroom (sex written or not, could be just the beginning and morning after).  
Then end of the story or a quick something else._

* * *

Harvey and Donna were sitting next to each other in the back seat of Harvey's work car while Ray was driving. They were driving through tight roads, totally surrounded only by trees and shining snow. Snow that looked so cold that Harvey felt the coldness in his bones. He was so focused looking at the landscape passing in front of him through the window that he could barely realize Donna was talking to him :

«Harvey are you okay ? » She asks, looking at him, confused.

He turned right away to lock eyes with her, smiling with assurance «Yeah, perfect !... What were

you saying ? »

She looked at him with suspicious eyes but didn't mind asking him questions... for now. She

continued «I said I hope Mr Colney won't act all cocky because no other lawyer could not have

come with you. I mean I know how much this client brings to the firm and we should be treating him

like he really matters...»

«Hey, that's exactly what we are doing, okay ? Yes you don't have the «lawyer title » but we only

have to hear two words coming out of your mouth to know how much you are competent as a COO.

You know how this firm is and _should_ operate. Actually, you are the second person who knows this

firm's best behind... me, of course. » Saying this with pride, flashing his brightest smile at the

window.

She looked at him, dropped her head down, shaking it with a shy smile «Please... »

He turned to look at her. Ray was driving slowly until they fully stopped. Here they arrived at

destination. Putting her hand in the handle of the passenger's door, she turned to look at Harvey : «If

I wasn't here, there wouldn't be any Zane Specter Litt bla bla to come back to. » She got out of the

car and slapped the door.

He laughed and told himself, he was about to spend the most relaxing week-end he ever did in a

long time. Until he foot stepped into the cold and heavy snow. He closed his eyes, already asking

himself what the hell he was doing here.

Donna opened the trunk, getting out a big sports bag from it.

«What is that ? » Harvey looked totally confused.

«My snow kit. Where is yours ? » She asked, while she was busy getting out all the stuff from the

bag.

She didn't get any answers. She raised her head to look at him. He looked at everything else except

her. « You did not. » It wasn't even a question. By the look on his face, she knew he came

unprepared.

«How was I supposed to know there would be this amount of snow ? and... this goddamn coldness. »

He said, putting his hands on his cot pockets, freezing to death.

«Mountains Harvey. I told you we were going to the mountains. »

«Yeah well here we are. And my skow kit is not. » He looked down at the snow with the most

saddened, yet adorable eyes. She finished getting herself ready. Huge coat, hat, gloves and scarf.

She was already wearing solid boots before she got into the car. Harvey took his bag, she closed the

trunk, signaling Ray he could leave.

«Come on » She said to Harvey, handing him her left hand for him to grab it. He just stood there.

«Harvey, if I don't push you, you'll get stuck in the snow, you know that. Come on. » She said, with

a soft voice, waving her hand. He took it immediately after. They were working great together so

far through all this snow, until Harvey screamed her to wait, almost falling until she caught him

before the catastrophe «You're pushing me too much ! » She didn't answer, too busy laughing in her

scarf «And you are also laughing at me, not cool. » .

They finally arrived inside the office. Donna was taking all the extra clothes off her. Harvey waited

until she was done and said, with the softest smile and voice : «Thank you. » She replied with a

sweet smile : «You're welcome . »

They got ready to meet with the client, everything went as great as they prepared it and the night

fell down around 5pm.

Outside the conference room, Harvey turned to Donna : «What do you say ? Pizza and hot

chocolate for dinner ? Not necessarily in that order of course»

She laughs «And I say : which flavor ? »

After they ate, they arrived at the apartment reserved for them. Donna was opening the door while

Harvey did the talk : «On a scale from 1 to Louis messing up merges, how stupid is this idea to

make us spend the night with total strangers ?

She laughs «Harvey, they could be hearing you right now ! And who says they are not thinking the

same thing about us right now ? »

«Who would think such things about us ? We are the funniest and kindest duo ! » They entered the

apartment. It was 9 past 30 and the inside was cold and totally dark. Donna turned on the lights,

asking if someone was here but no response. They checked every room but it looked like there was

no one in there.

Donna stated : « You are so mean, you scared them off. »

«No, they just had to see our names to know our special we are and they let us a whole goddamn

apartment for us !» Harvey said, happily looking around him, content with the sight of this inside

and the thought that it is all for him and _her_.

She replied « Hold your horses, they were supposed to be here at 9. If they're not here by 11, then

this apartment is _ours_ for the night, yes. »

She turns to the french window in the living room. She went to open it, followed right behind by

Harvey. He closed the glass behind him.

«It's such a shame this place isn't enlightened enough, the view must be so beautiful if we could see

something out of it. » Donna stated, crossing her arms.

« We could see something very beautiful from my apartment if we were there right now. », Harvey

said, looking at Donna.

« We could see something from my apartment too ! » She replied, turning around to him.

« Yeah, your neighbours.»

« I'm not going to answer to that because you just forgot what the view from my apartment looks

like. »

«Oh I remember it alright. » « Like I also remember the time when my laundry machine was broken

and I asked you to wash my clothes and you gave them back to me, with a shirt half-red, half-

white... »

They looked at each other and shouted at the same time : «The color was already there... !

No it wasn't ! »

They both stared at the landscape before them. She started freezing a bit. Without hesitation, he

took off his coat to put it on her. She turned around, saying : « Harvey that is really sweet of you

but I think you are the one who needs it the most right now. »

«Nope, nope, all fine here ». The second these words came out of his mouth, a freezing wind that

Harvey could have swore came from the Antarctic passed through them, leaving with such a

chilliness they could not move.

«Well. We are definitely not spending the night in this front porch. » Donna said, turning around,

put and they both got back inside.

Donna got busy starting a fire in the fireplace, while she asked Harvey : « I hope you brought stuff

to entertain ourselves because we are not getting out tonight ».

He replied, with his signature smile, not worried at all for the rest of the night : « You did not ? »

Donna looked at him «Go check the bedrooms to see if there's something interesting in there»

There was 4 bedrooms. Two for Harvey and Donna and the two others for the other lawyers who

never arrived. In the corner of a bedroom, Harvey found the tallest Christmas tree. He immediately

knew how they would be passing time. But before that, he did not want to get Donna's hopes up for

nothing. He wanted to make sure there were stuff in the place to decorate it. Nothing at sight. He

called the reception to ask if had something to help decorate. Receiving a positive answer, he left the

apartment, saying to Donna he had to check something at the reception. He came back with a box

full of tinsels, balls and mistletoe and other stuff. As he entered the place, the tree was already by

the fireplace. Looking at the box in his hands, she stated with a full smile : «I guess you got us busy

finally. »

They started decorate it. They both wanted the best spots to hang their favorite stuff, pushing each

other aside and making each other's decorations drop in the floor while it was hanging in the tree, so

they could have the spot. They were were both laughing and having a great time teasing each other :

«That's not fair ! This tree is way bigger than the ones I got as a kid, there is enough spots for both

of us ! »

He looked at her. She felt that stare in her bones. A silence took place between them. _She opened_

 _up_ , he thought to himself. In 12 and half years, she opened up. He couldn't remember the last time

she did that.

Without looking at her so she won't feel uncomfortable, he continued decorating the tree : «Do you

want to talk about it ? »

Tears started filling her eyes.

She started open up : «As you know, my dad and I were always on the move and with not that much

of money. But he always wanted to make Christmas a magical time for me. A moment where time

would just stop, just for a few minutes, hours, so all we could think about was joy and asking other

questions than «How is your new school ? » or « Did you make new friends ? » or... » Her voice

started crackling, her hands started shaking. The tone in her voice was so unusual, you could feel

the sadness in her, telling this story. She couldn't hang anything else in the tree. Harvey was so

surprised and his heart just broke into a million pieces to see her like this. It only took her a

throwback to a small part of her life to put her in that state. She looked so perfect from the outside

but on the inside... _she must be such a mess,_ he thought to himself.

He took her hands in her and said :

«Hey hey. Drop that. Drop that and come here. » He made her sit on the floor, by the fireplace. He

was still holding her hands, with both of his, never wanting to let go.

«Donna, you can talk to me. I'm your best friend and you are mine. Every year, there is trouble in

my life. Heck, there is _always_ trouble in my life and you are always by my side to help me see

through it. I wish I could do the same for you. I _want_ to do the same for you. I feel like you've

buried so much stuff that are clearly destroying you from the inside but I want to you to feel

comfortable enough to share it with me. I would hate it if you couldn't. »

Erasing few tears from her cheeks, she looked at him : « I want to share this with you, all of it.

Since the day I met you, I wanted to share _everything_ with you. I'm someone who gets attached too

quickly to people but with you, Harvey... From that night we spent talking in this bar, I was already

comfortable enough around you to call you my best friend and if I allowed myself for it, I'd have

even called you my partner for life. But, I always avoided myself some happiness in my life

because I... I had to make sure I had some financial stability first, that's just the way I always knew

how to live, how my dad taught me to live. And now I feel like I haven't been _living_ , I've just been

surviving. I let go the biggest joy I could have known in my life and I know I can't take back all

these lost years. But since I became COO, I came to realize that I just had to stop and live. So today,

I am saying it out loud : I want joy. I want financial stability. I have financial stability. And now I

 _want_ Joy.

Harvey did not wait a second to reply : « You didn't let go anything. I'm still here. We may have

grew some grey hair but... we're still here. We always find each other. I want _us_ Donna. I've also

grown over the years. And what I have learned is that I'm not perfect because perfect is

unattainable. Life is a mess. With its joyful parts, traumatic ones, life-changing ones ; But it's a

beautiful mess when you have a purpose and you are just living in the moment. And we are as

messed up as is this life. But as long as we got each other, _this is my purpose. »_

«Are you saying you want to give us a chance at a relationship, in-between this beautiful mess ? »

« Yes. Because we deserve this. Both of us. We deserve some joy in our life. We deserve to love

each other as long as we want to and as much as we want to. This is it Donna. All that happened in

our lives these past couple of years led us to this moment. »

They locked eyes. He let go of her hands to cup both her cheeks with it and say :

« Can I kiss you ? »

«Yes. » She simply replied.

Their lips touched but that lasted only a few seconds until she put her arms around his neck to

deepen the kiss. He let go of his cheeks to hold her wrist closer to him. They never stopped kissing

until both of them needed some air. He turned at one on the bedrooms : « There is only one bed per

room. »

« And the tree ? » She really looked concerned for it, he knew she wanted to finish it.

«Help me move it. » He said, getting up from the floor.

«What ? » She looked at him, while she was till on the floor, mesmerized.

«We're getting it into the bedroom, exactly where he belonged in the first place. So the magic can

go on and if they, you know who, come, they won't even know we're here. » He gave her a wink.

«Perfect.» She just answered while helping him move the tree and the box in the room. Then, they

went to get a bed left in the now empty bedroom so they could make a bed for two.

«Which side do you want to sleep ? »

«The right one. So I can sleep in your arms and tell you all about my life while looking at this

masterpiece of a tree we are about to finish ». She says, walking behind him, caressing his back

tenderly while getting back to work.

The end.


End file.
